Ticks are thriving this year in Wisconsin. Here's how you can protect yourself.

When heading outdoors this summer, you're likely to encounter ticks just waiting to latch on to your skin. It doesn't matter if you're hiking through the woods, or if you're downtown, experts say you still need to watch for these pests.

Ticks are usually most active in Wisconsin from May to November. The state has a variety of ticks, most commonly the Deer tick, which spreads diseases, and the Wood tick, which rarely carries diseases.

Here's how you can protect yourself and your pets this year.

How bad are ticks this year?

Ticks are thriving in Wisconsin.

The state had some really warm weather this spring in early March, which gave the ticks an early start.

"They're bad this year, but they're bad every year," said Rebecca Osborn, a vectorborne disease epidemiologist.

Reported cases of Lyme disease have more than doubled over the past 15 years. In 2020, Wisconsin had 3,076 estimated cases of Lyme disease, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. However, the CDC estimates the total number of cases is more than 10 times higher than what's reported.

Wisconsin is one of the states reporting the highest number of cases in the country, according DHS.

Where are ticks found in Wisconsin?

Typically, ticks live in shady wooded areas and will cling to tall grass and plants. In the past three decades, they've really expanded their range farther into southern parts of the state, including Milwaukee.

You're now more likely to see a tick in Milwaukee than ever before, Osborn said; here's why:

• Deer populations have recovered and expanded from years earlier, and tick populations, which rely on deer for food sources, have increased with them

• People have moved to suburban or rural areas where their homes border forested and wooded areas, encountering more ticks in their daily life

• Warmer winters means ticks are more active throughout the year.

What's Lyme disease?

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread by deer ticks, which are small in size, and can often go unnoticed. Symptoms typically develop three to 30 days after being bitten by a tick.

The symptoms include:

• Fever

• Chills

• Fatigue

• Muscle Aches

• Joint Pain

• Nausea

• Expanding rash, often in the shape of a bullseye

If you think you might have Lyme disease, contact your help care provider right away. Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics.

Make sure to remember that there are multiple different tick-transmitted diseases. If you're experiencing symptoms and could have been exposed to ticks, you could have another disease, such as Anaplasmosis, which has also been found in Wisconsin. For a full list, visit cdc.gov/ticks/diseases.

Tips to avoid contracting Lyme disease

• Cover as much as your body as possible; wear long sleeves and tuck shirts into your pants and pants into your socks

• Walk in the center of trails where grass and vegetation are mowed

• Wear light-colored clothing so you can see ticks and remove them quickly

• Use insect repellent

• Throw your clothes in the dryer for 10 minutes on high heat when you get home

• Always check yourself, family and pets for ticks, especially behind the knees, under the armpits and around the hairline, ears and waist.

• Treat clothing and gear with products containing .5% permethrin, which can be used to treat boots, clothing and camping gear.

RELATED: Doctors debate, patients suffer: The fight over chronic Lyme disease in Wisconsin

What should you do if you've been bitten by a tick?

Use tweezers and grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible while gently pulling it up and out. Save the tick in a sealed plastic bag or take a photo of the tick before disposing of it in case you develop symptoms later. You can dispose of a tick by putting it in alcohol or flushing it down the toilet.

Think you might have Lyme disease? Here's how it's diagnosed

Here's what health care providers should consider when assessing a patient for Lyme disease, according to the CDC:

• The signs and symptoms of Lyme disease

• The likelihood that the patient has been exposed to infected ticks

• The possibility that other illnesses may cause similar symptoms

• Results of laboratory tests

CDC recommends a two-step test for Lyme disease using a blood sample. Both blood tests need to be positive for the disease to be diagnosed.

Most Lyme disease tests work by detecting antibodies made by the body in response to the infection. These antibodies can take several weeks to develop, so you can test negative if you've only been recently infected.

Here's how to protect your pets from ticks

Dogs are especially susceptible to tick bites because they are more likely to run through wooded and grassy areas. Talk to your veterinarian about the best tick prevention products for your pet.

Check your pets regularly for ticks, especially after they spend time outdoors. Be sure to look for ticks around the tail, ears and eyelids, and under the front legs, back legs and between the toes. If you find a tick remove it immediately.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ticks are thriving in Wisconsin in 2023. How to protect yourself.